Second Chance
by Animal Storyteller
Summary: Takes place during Outcast, Millie is expecting kits and tells Graystripe. How will he react? Who will reassure him from the worst? One-shot.


"It's good for the Clan, more kits!" Leafpool meowed cheerfully to Millie in the medicine cat's den, "Don't be surprised if Graystripe is worried for you though".

"What...do you mean?" Millie asked, she tilted her head in a puzzled fashion.

"N-Nothing, forget what I said" Leafpool resumed sorting poultices, "You should eat as much as possible for the kits".

Millie's puzzled expression stayed on her face, but she nodded and saw Hazeltail, Thornclaw, and Poppypaw return with fresh-kill. It had been a quarter-moon since Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and their kits took off to the mountains with other cats from other Clans.

_Little less warriors to feed the Nursery, especially since Ferncloud refuses to leave the Nursery! She's can't be selfish and take up room for my kits, speaking of which...I haven't told Graystripe the news yet, where is he?_

The silver she-cat walked through the clearing and into the warrior's den.

"Graystripe?" Millie was shushed by lazily-sleeping warriors that remained in the den. She scowled and went to Firestar, whom was speaking with his mate.

"Firestar?"

The orange tom looked at her with sharp green eyes, "Yes?".

"Where's Graystripe?" Millie asked.

"Border patrol" Firestar replied, flicking his tail, "Why? Do you need him?".

"...No, I don't" Millie said in a disappointed tone, she laid down in the clearing and felt slight kicking in her body. She got up even thought she felt slight cramps, took a thrush and sat back down and started eating.

She looked up, Graystripe had came back along with Squirrelflight, Whitewing, and their apprentices. He spoke briefly to Firestar before taking a mouse and sitting beside Millie. He started eating contently and he let his tail rest on her shoulders. His eyes were glowing.

_Hopefully, he'll be trilled when I tell him, right?_

"Hey, Millie!" Graystripe purred, giving Millie's ear a lick, "I heard you went to see Leafpool, you alright?".

"Yes, I just need to tell you something" Millie braced herself and looked into Graystripe's eyes, "I'm expecting kits".

Graystripe froze, and the piece of mouse meat that was hanging on his jaw fell, "Y-You're _expecting kits? _T-That's great, Millie!".

"You seem apprehensive, Graystripe" Millie muttered, "Leafpool told me 'Don't be surprised if Graystripe's worried for you though', why'd she say that?".

"She did?" Graystripe pulled Millie closer to him with his paws, "She's just saying that because _she's_ worried about you! I'm not worried at all!".

"It's alright to be worried" Millie replied, "But not too much, I'll be moving into the Nursery".

"Yeah..." Graystripe got up and his tail was dragging on the ground as he walked over to Firestar. Millie frowned.

_Why did he not seem so excited as I had hoped he was going to be?_

Graystripe padded up to Firestar, Firestar looked at his former deputy and best friend.

"Yes, Graystripe? What is it?" Firestar meowed.

"Millie's expecting my kits" Graystripe blurted out, "We need more brambles, more guards, more hunting patro-"

"Graystripe!" Firestar placed his tail over Graystripe's mouth, "Why the worry? Well, I know very well when we were very young warriors, Silverstream was expecting".

"Yes" Graystripe's eyes were dark, "She died, giving birth to my kits! What if the same thing happens to Millie?!".

"She won't go out of the territory" Firestar answered, "And we've got Leafpool, not a medicine cat apprentice! It's a more safe environment for Millie than what happened in Silverstream's case".

"I'd like to lead a hunting patrol as well" Graystripe murmured, "I need a way...to take my mind off to pressure".

"You can't do that forever, Graystripe" Firestar said in a low growl, "Millie needs you more than ever now".

Graystripe sighed and brought Mousewhisker and Sorreltail with him on patrol.

That night, he didn't sleep well. Instead, he woke up at Fourtrees.

"Huh? Is this a dream?" Graystripe muttered, then, he saw her.

Silverstream.

"Silverstream..."Graystripe's eyes widened as he looked at the sleek she-cat that was once is mate, "I-I-".

"Hush" Silversteam purred, her tail covering his mouth. He pulled away.

"It's...been _so long..." _Graystripe whispered, "Why are you here?".

"To tell you, Millie will be OK" Silversteam reassured him, "You two will have beautiful kits".

"Thank you!" Graystripe's eyes were bright, "My Millie will be OK!".

Suddenly, a tortoiseshell she-cat with wild eyes shoved Silverstream out of the way.

"FOOL! She'll DIE because of you! Sickness will kill her!" the she-cat screeched.

"WHAT?!" Graystripe sputtered, Silverstream knocked the she-cat away from Graystripe.

"Leave him alone, Mapleshade" Silverstream then whispered, "We don't even know if that's going to happen yet".

"What?! So it-WAIT! DON'T GO!" Graystripe then woke up in the warrior's den.

_Millie, please...don't leave me and our kits..._

**Several moons later**

Graystripe walked restlessly back and forth outside of the Nursery, hearing Millie's low cries of pain made him jump.

_Silverstream, watch over her, please..._

He heard Leafpool's calls and the sound of Jaypaw moving back and forth.

_Please, don't take Millie's life, StarClan...I don't want to lose her too!_

It had felt like a lifetime, but Jaypaw's head emerged from the Nursery.

"Your kits are born" Jaypaw meowed, "A tom and two she-kits".

Graystripe was pleasantly surprised and barged in, he saw his kits: the tom was gray and had many stripes, the first she-kit was a dark brown, the second was a tortoiseshell with a dappled pelt.

_They're beautiful. Huh, the tom's got more stripes than me, like a bumblebee..._

They named their kits Bumblekit, Briarkit, and Blossomkit. Love for his newborn children overwhelmed him like a storm.

"They're beautiful!" Millie purred, then she lifted her head to touch noses with her mate, "See, you didn't need to worry!".

Graystripe rested his head on Millie's shoulder and watched his kits.

_Not yet, anyways..._


End file.
